CHAPTER 16
Narmada was in the bedroom drying her hair when she heard an excited voice. Neil’s voice was barely audible, and the woman’s voice resonated in the small area.
She stayed in the room not sure if she was expected to go out and greet the person. She continued to rub her hair wondering if the voice belonged to his friend. He had told her the previous night they were going to move to a different location.
She smiled at the memorable night they had, and it had nothing to do with the physical attraction. They had dinner and watched a movie holding hands making her wonder if it was real or a dream.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Come in,” she called out her voice unsure.
The door opened slowly, and Neil stepped into the room, his face as cold as the arctic tundra. She wondered what made him turn so cold when he had set her on fire in the shower less than an hour ago.
“We need to leave in an hour,” he declared and turned away from her. She watched as he left the room, standing with the woman he had not introduced to her.
“I am going to help you change into these clothes and change your look slightly,” the woman declared.
“Are you Komal?”
“Yes,” came the curt reply. The woman opened the bag she brought with her. “Sit here.”
Narmada sat on the small stool by the mirror. “Thank you for letting us stay at your place.”
The response was a low-key grunt making Narmada wonder if something was wrong. The woman briskly ran the towel into Narmada’s hair to dry it out.
“Can you stand up and not move for ten minutes?” Her voice was extremely robotic and emotionless. Narmada didn’t say anything but complied.
She stood looking at herself in the mirror as the woman worked on tying an authentic saree. The woman had asked her to leave her leggings on and had asked her to tuck her snug t-shirt into the waistband.
“Can you put these earrings and nose ring on while I work on your hair?” she ordered.
The woman pulled her hair back and plaited it while Narmada put on the earrings. She put on the press-on nose ring catching the woman’s frozen expression in the mirror.
The woman moved to stand in front of her and started putting on makeup, mostly around the eyes. She finished off by putting three dots on Narmada’s chin with an eye pencil.
“Did Neil ask you to dress me up like this?” Narmada asked getting annoyed with the silence.
“Who are you?” The woman’s question surprised her.
“I’m Narmada.”
“How do you know his name?” Komal was taken aback.
“I know him.”
“How do you know him?” It was scrutiny.
Narmada looked at the woman in silence wondering how much to tell her.
“Hunter!” Komal called out.
Narmada’s heart thudded as she heard him approach the room. She didn’t know why she felt anxious as he opened the door and stepped into the room. She lowered her eyes to put on the bangles the woman had given her.
“How does she know your name?” Komal asked like it was the most important thing.
She could hear the woman’s heavy breathing, but Neil did not say a word. Narmada finally looked up in his direction, and when their eyes met, her heart fluttered and her skin tingled with the spark she saw in his eyes.
His deep eyes were drinking in the sight in front of him, and it made her hot knowing that she was the reason for his reaction, something novel.
“She knows everything about me.” His voice was calm.
Komal gasped like she couldn’t believe her ears. “Who is she? Is she…”
“Komal,” Neil cut her off.
“Oh my God, this is her?” The woman’s voice was suddenly cheerful.
“Are you done here?” His voice was shaky.
“Hunter, why didn’t you tell me? Oh my God, she must be thinking I am a bitch.” Komal laughed.
Komal dropped to the floor to be at the same level as Narmada and put her arms around her. “Narmada, I am so happy to meet you.”
“Komal, that’s enough.” He was curt.
“What are you talking about?” Narmada looked at Komal.
“Can I tell her?” Komal teased, suddenly bubbly.
“Get out!” he barked. His tone sent a shiver down her spine, but it didn’t seem to bother Komal. She gave Narmada a quick wink before leaving the room.
“Neil, why am I dressed like this?” She looked into his eyes unable to decipher his expression.
He slowly moved closer to her. “You are beautiful.”
Narmada felt her blood rush to her heart and gasped inwardly in response to his words. His hands came up to gingerly cup her cheeks.
“Give me five minutes to tell you everything and promise not to hold any of what I tell you against me.” His voice was soft yet steady.
“Neil…” Her voice trailed off when he ran the pad of his thumb on her lower lip before bringing his lips to hers.
“Every time I look at you, I want to tell myself you are mine. I want you to be mine forever, and I knew this the moment I saw you six years ago. When I look at you like this, all I can think about is to keep you to myself and make you the mother of my children.” He kissed away the silent tears that rolled down her cheeks.
“It pains me to see you sad, a bead of moisture has the power to burn my soul. It was like ripping my heart out, to get myself to leave you six years ago. Will you be mad if I told you I thought about coming to see you from time to time, and I had to stop myself?” He tightened his hold on her, pulling her to him.
“Neil… why?” She sobbed.
“I am not right for you. We cannot be together. I wish we had met in a different life, but nothing or no one will take your place in my life.” He took a step away as if his time to pour out his heart was up.
“We need to leave in ten minutes.” His cold expression cut through her heart.
“Neil, don’t…”
“This is the right thing to do, it’s best for both of us. Just forget everything I told you. Our temporary pretense comes to an end this moment,” he declared and walked away from her leaving her fighting an uphill battle with her tears.
“Neil, let me love you!” she cried.
Narmada collapsed to the floor sobbing uncontrollably. She ignored the gentle hand that tried to comfort her. “Narmada, please don’t cry.”
Komal’s voice was a soothing whisper. “The idiot loves you but is too scared to admit it.”
“I love him, Komal. Why can’t I get him to understand I want a life with him.”
“Narmada, he has lived his life with a target on his back and is convinced anyone who gets close to him will lose their life.”
“I don’t know what to do.” Narmada’s mind was in a turmoil.
“You are one of the very few people who knows his name, knows things about him that probably even the people he grew up with don’t know. If there is anyone who can get him out of it all it is you.” Komal sounded confident.
Narmada took a deep breath and wiped her eyes clean. “Thank you, Komal. You are a good friend, and he needs more of you in his life.”
“The only one he needs now is you. I’ve never seen him look at anyone as he looks at you. I’ll be honest… I wanted to be the person he looked at that way, but I couldn’t reach him… he is yours, meant to be yours, Narmada.” Komal smiled weakly.
“Thank you.”
“You need to go now. You can’t be here for long,” Komal whispered.
Narmada nodded and gathered herself before stepping out of the bedroom. Neil stood by the door dressed in a semi-traditional cotton outfit. It occurred to her at that moment that it was their cover, their cover to get out of the city. The police were probably still looking for the woman who made the Chief Minister’s son end up in a coma.
“Thank you for everything, Komal.”
*****
The mode of their transportation was no longer the sleek sports car. It was an SUV with darkened windows. She noticed Neil was wearing a baseball cap and dark sunglasses. She wasn’t sure if he was hiding his face from her or the people after them.
She hugged Komal and got into the car watching as Neil talked to her—rather gave her instructions—and turned away from her curtly. For someone who grew up with him, been through crap with him, she expected him to give her a hug or another gesture of friendship, but there was none.
Her large eyes followed him as he went around to get into the driver’s seat. She hadn’t realized how different he was with Komal. Was there a history or was he the same with everyone, except her?
She closed her eyes and thought back to the year they spent together as teenagers and realized he was with her wherever she went but never spoke to anyone.
“I hate you, Neil, I hate you for lying to me,” she yelled running next to the gurney he was laying on, looking at her. “You better not die today!”
It was the day she was attacked in broad daylight on the college campus. It was the day she was told he was her secret bodyguard since she was opposed to having security guards suffocating her.
She was angry when she found out he was her bodyguard but could not be angry for long. She realized soon after that they were friends, good friends. She had returned from studying abroad, and the kids in the college found her intimidating. He was the one who approached her first, and he was the one who helped her make friends in college, friends for life.
“Neil, I want to go to Sari’s birthday party at her farmhouse, and Daddy says it’s dangerous. You know what to do,” she ordered, and he nodded.
It was that night she realized there was more than friendship between them. She could not bear the idea of her friends swooning over him. She lost her cool when she heard the girls talking about how Neil was in the garden with her best friend, Sari.
“Neil,” she called out as soon as she stepped onto the concrete patio overlooking the large garden at her friend’s house. She didn’t hear anything and started descending the steps fuming at the idea of him not being with her.
She took a few steps onto the stone-paved pathway and heard the giggles. It had to be Sari. She let out a curse word under her breath and walked toward the sound. As she got closer, she heard his voice and her best friend’s voice.
Neil didn’t talk to anyone but her, why was he talking to Sari? Did he like her?
“Sari!” There was no softness in her voice when she saw her friend holding a water lily in her hand while Neil lay flat on the ground, his arm stretched out to reach for another flower in the pond.
“Hey, Narmada… what’s up?” Her friend’s voice wavered like she was caught doing something wrong.
“What are you doing here?” Narmada’s eyes seared her friend.
“Why are you acting like a bitch, I just…” Sari’s voice trailed off when Neil got off the concrete floor to stand in between Narmada and her.
“What’s wrong?” His tone was flat as usual.
“Why are you here… with her?” Narmada growled.
“Plucking flowers,” he declared.
“No… you can’t… I…” She turned away, unable to bear the burn of jealousy. She had barely taken a step away from them before she felt his hand circle her wrist.
“Sari, go inside.”
“Okay…” her friend mumbled before disappearing into the farmhouse.
“Narmada…”
“Neil, let me go,” she demanded.
“Not until you tell me what’s bothering you.” He pulled her closer to him.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were going into the garden.” She sniffled.
“Look at me. Is this how you look when you cry?” He turned her to look at him.
“Leave me alone, Neil.” She pulled her hand away from his and hid her face in her hands.
“Will this stop you from crying?” His voice was soft, a novel sound. She looked up from her hands through her teary eyes almost in reaction to the sweetness in his voice.
Neil held two water lilies, the fragrance and the sight of the white flowers calming her instantly.
“For me?” her voice a whisper.
“Yes.” He handed them to her and slowly reached out to wipe her cheeks.
“Don’t ever do this?” His voice was cajoling.
“Do what?”
“Cry… I…” His voice trailed off when she put her arms around him still holding onto the flowers.
“Neil, you are my friend, and I didn’t like it when I saw you with Sari,” she confessed.
“She was helping me pluck the flowers… for you. I had to ask her because it is her farmhouse.” His voice resonated against her cheek.
“I love them,” she said, gently pulling back to look at the flowers.
“I knew you would like them.” He smiled.
“You know me so well… I…” She let her words get lost in the cool breeze. She took one hand to his cheek and looked into his eyes.
They stood frozen for what seemed like a long time before he slowly moved closer, his lips grazed her cheek before they moved to the edge of her mouth. She ran her hand around his neck and angled her face to move her lips over his.
After a moment of hesitation, his lips claimed hers. She took in the sweetness of the moment and closed her eyes feeling the ripples of sensations she had never experienced charge through her body.
His hands came up to cup her face, making her feel precious. She was lost in the moment, feeling an emotion she had never felt, something so strong, she couldn’t identify it.
“Narmada… Neil… we are cutting the cake,” someone called out in the background, and he pulled back. He pulled away so fast she dropped the flowers and almost lost her footing.
He caught her before she fell into the pond. “We should go.”
“Neil…”
“We can talk later.” His voice was back to being gruff.
The very next morning, he was gone. The family he was staying in the guesthouse with told them he had to go and gave no other details.
Narmada opened her eyes to look at the man in the driver’s seat. He may have grown out of the boyish looks, but his heart, it was hers. She had no option but to fight to be his, forever.